Shloka 21

Svagati-varṇana

Description of the Supreme State / One’s True Attainment

Devanagari script

यौवनाश्वो हतो येन मांधाता सबलः पुरा । चक्रवर्ती महातेजास्त्रैलोक्यविजयो नृपः

Transliteration

yauvanāśvo hato yena māṃdhātā sabalaḥ purā | cakravartī mahātejāstrailokyavijayo nṛpaḥ

Translation

Por Ele, outrora, o rei Yauvanāśva foi morto; e por Ele também Māndhātā—poderoso com suas hostes—tornou-se um cakravartin radiante, rei célebre como conquistador dos três mundos.

Word by Word

• yauvanāśvaḥ: Yauvanāśva
• yauvanāśvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yauvanāśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम (proper noun)

• hataḥ: was slain
• hataḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ (passive sense)

• yena: by whom
• yena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (‘by whom’)

• māṃdhātā: Māndhātā
• māṃdhātā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māṃdhātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम

• sabalaḥ: with an army, powerful
• sabalaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa-bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (‘बलसहितः’); विशेषण of māṃdhātā

• purā: formerly, once
• purā: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• cakravartī: universal monarch (cakravartin)
• cakravartī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cakra (प्रातिपदिक) + vartin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (‘चक्रं वर्तते यस्य/यः’)—राजविशेषः

• mahā-tejāḥ: of great splendor
• mahā-tejāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘महत्तेजाः’); विशेषण of nṛpaḥ

• trailokya-vijayaḥ: conqueror of the three worlds
• trailokya-vijayaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक) + vijaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘त्रैलोक्यस्य विजयः’); विशेषण of nṛpaḥ

• nṛpaḥ: king
• nṛpaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya, Umāsaṃhitā discourse context)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Characters & Entities

• Yauvanāśva
• Māndhātā

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It contrasts worldly sovereignty—slaying of kings and conquest of the three worlds—with the deeper Purāṇic intent: all temporal power is secondary to devotion to Pati (Śiva), the supreme Lord who alone grants liberation beyond karma and kingship.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

By invoking famed imperial figures, the text frames human glory as dependent and impermanent, directing the listener toward Saguna Śiva worship—especially the Liṅga—as the stable refuge that transcends political victory and establishes lasting merit and spiritual ascent.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The implied takeaway is to prefer Śiva-upāsanā over pride in power: daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with reverence to the Liṅga, supported by Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa where appropriate.